Wetin dey happun to Nigerian football, why Eagles, Falcons, odas dey struggle - NFF set up committee to investigate

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) wey be di football govning bodi of football for Nigeria don set up committee wey go chook eye inside football for di kontri.

Di mandate of di six man committee na to find out why football no dey go well for Nigeria again.

Dis dey come afta many Nigerians dey para sake of how Nigerian football don fall yakata under di Ibrahim Gusau-led NFF.

While some pipo say make e resign as e don fail Nigerian football as dem accuse am say e dey carry football for di kontri dey go wia dem no know, odas tok say make Nigerians give am time for im second term to perform.

For statement wey di NFF release on Friday, dem say: "Di Nigeria Football Federation don set up fact-finding committee to look into di unwholesome poor run of di kontri National Teams for international competitions, wit specific attention to di Super Falcons failure to qualify for next year Fifa Women World Cup finals."

Di NFF dey react to plenti tok-tok for social media afta di women national team fail to qualify for di Fifa Women World Cup wey go happun for Brazil.

Archrivals South Africa beat Nigeria 2-1 to qualify for di World Cup during di playoffs for Morocco on Thursday.

Earlier, Nigeria lose 2-1 to Cameroon for di quarter-finals of di Women Africa Cup of Nations, di reason why dem no get direct qualification to di World Cup.

For NFF statement, dem add say: "E mean say Nigeria, wey be like di supreme power of African women football, no go dey for di 2027 Fifa Women World Cup finals wey Brazil go host, afta dem don attend evri edition since di competition start for 1991."

Nigeria football dey for im lowest level right now - even di senior men team wey be di Super Eagles also fail to qualify for di 2026 Fifa World Cup.

Remember say di Super Eagles and di Bafana Bafana of South Africa bin dey for di same qualifying group for di 2026 World Cup, but di South Africans win di group to qualify automatically, bifor DR Congo also knock Nigeria comot from di play-off.

E even dey worse becos di 2026 World Cup na di first time 10 teams from Africa play for one World Cup tournament, yet di Super Eagles no fit get one spot out of 10.

So wetin be di problem?

Na why di NFF set up dis committee make dem chook eye well-well for di mata.

Who be di members of di committee

Di fact-finding committee members include Former NFF General Secretary, Ambassador Fanny Amun, wey go be di head of di committee.

Former Nigeria U20 coach and president of di Nigeria Football Coaches Association, Coach Ladan Bosso dey di committee too.

Odas na former Super Falcons captain, multiple Women Africa Cup of Nations winner and Fifa World Cup star Desire Oparanozie.

Mutiu Adepoju wey be former Super Eagles captain, Africa Cup of Nations winner and Fifa World Cup star na member.

Former Fifa referee, Dr. Alex Mana and Chairman of di Sokoto State Football Association, Mallam Mohammed Nasiru Sa'idu, na di secretary of di committee.

Full list of di fact-finding committee

'We abandon football development'

Even di statement from NFF no tok wen di committee go start work. Some sports journalist for Nigeria don tok dia mind about di mata.

Patrick Ngwaogwu na journalist wey don cover sports - football in particular - for Nigeria for many many years, and e tell BBC News Pidgin say one of di big problems be say Nigeria abandon grassroot football development, and dey rely only on foreign players.

"We just dey rely on our population, thinking say our population go always give us wetin we need, while di oda small African kontris dey develop dia own talents faster," Ngwaogwu tok.

Dis development, according to im, include venues and facilities wia pipo for di grassroots go dey play, football academies, and football league wey get value.

"Take for instance, for Nigeria we get only one stadium wey qualify to host international match, dat na di one for Uyo. But for all di oda places for di kontri wia di youths fit participate for sporting activities, dem don convert dem to either buildings or anytin dem want."

"Di national stadium for Abuja, e don go. Di national stadium for Lagos, e don go. For di whole of di FCT, na only one central pitch, di one for Area 3 (Garki area), and maybe di one for Bwari now wey dem say dem don do. Schools no longer get playing grounds. So all dis tins dey contribute."

Ngwaogwu mention kontris like Senegal, Morocco and Ghana, wia e tok say beta infrastructure dey to discova talents.

"We now dey rely on di diaspora for players even as young as under-17. E no make sense," e tok.

For women football particularly, Ngwaogwu tok say na shameful tin say govment and football administrators no dey pay any special attention to am, even though say di women national team na dem dey do di kontri proud more dan di men.

Di women football league for Nigeria no too get structure, and di one wey dem dey manage to do, sponsors no too dey, bicos according to Ngwaogwu, "wetin dem go gain for sponsoring di league?"

"Di tax rebate and oda tins wey govment suppose put in place to attract sponsors, dem no dey do am, so why any private business go put money for di league?" e ask.

To fix di problem, di ogbonge journalists say govment gatz do di following:

Reactions on social media

Di Nigeria Football Federation suppose hold dia election for September dis year, but many fans dey impatient as dem tok say di NFF President, Ibrahim Gusau suppose resign even bifor di election.

Nigeria sports tori pesin, Osasu Obayiuwana, write for im X handle say na di NFF board, as a whole, suppose resign bicos dem don make Nigerian football look like "dog breakfast".

Anoda sports tori pesin wey dey run 'football matter' on social media write; "Enuf is Enuf! NFF must resign! Ibrahim Musa Gusau na di worst NFF President eva. We don fail to qualify for nine tournaments now under im administration. Any football nation wit dis failure suppose resign honorably or dem go sack am."

Udoka Njoku also write say: "Di NFF board suppose just resign. Notin more dem wan tok. E go dey shameful if dem re-elect Gusau again."

Nigeria recent football woes

Apart from di Super Eagles and Super Falcons wey miss out of di World Cup, di age grade football teams dey also struggle.

Di Nigeria under -17 men national team - di Golden Eaglets - wey bin don win di Fifa U17 World Cup five times bifor, no qualify for dis year edition wey go take place for Portugal from 19 November to 13 December dis year.

Den di U-20 men national team - di Flying Eagles - fit also miss out for di 2027 Fifa U20 World Cup for Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. Dem lose to Burkina Faso 1-4 for di WAFU B tournament wey suppose qualify dem for di Caf U20 Africa Nations Cup.

Na dis Nations Cup also be di African qualifier for di U20 World Cup next year, bicos all di four semi-finalists for di tournament go qualify automatically. So e mean say di Flying Eagles fit also miss di World Cup.

However, di Nigeria Football Federation don apply to Caf for special place for di U20 Nations Cup, based on some special consideration. Dat application still dey on.

Di only good news na di U17 women national team - di Flamingos - wey manage to secure qualification for di Fifa U17 World Cup wey go take place for Morocco from 17 October to 7 November 2026.